The Nigerian Navy has raised alarm about frequent case of stowaways in Lagos waters.
The intimation was made via a statement the Director of Information at Naval Headquarters, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu released.
In it, Adams-Aliu stated that a staggering 75 individuals were arrested on merchant ships from August 2023 to April 2024.
This, according to him caused Navy authorities to resolve to stem the growing trend of the improper situation by having in place some measures.
The latter, which include: deploying advanced Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) equipment to enable Quick Response Teams (QRT) to swiftly respond to incidents across Nigeria’s territorial waters, the Director said, will curtail the situation.
Detailing the operations, Adams-Aliu revealed that the QRT effectively extracted stowaways who had concealed themselves within the vessels’ rudder compartments.
The Navy spokesperson further provided a breakdown of stowaway arrests during the review period, citing incidents ranging from August 2023 to April 2024.
He added that all apprehended stowaways have been handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in accordance with established protocols for further necessary action. Adams-Aliu emphasized the illegality of migration as a stowaway and underscored the significant risks it poses to both individuals and shipowners, including severe legal consequences and health hazards such as exposure to harsh weather conditions, lack of sustenance, injuries, and potential fatalities.
